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INTERVIEW WITH BHUTAN PRIME MINISTER LYONPO SANGAY NGEDUP

'People level contacts should be achieved very easily. So there is so much for us to achieve through Saarc, and I do believe there is future and promise'

Upon completion of his studies in 1976, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup joined the Bhutanese Foreign Service. The next year he served at the permanent mission of Bhutan to the United Nations in New York and later as Second (and later First) Secretary in the Royal Bhutan Embassy in New Delhi. In 1989, Mr. Ngedup was appointed as Ambassador to Kuwait. He became the Director of Trade and Industry in 1989, Joint Secretary of the Planning Commission in 1991, Director General of Health in 1992, and in 1998 he became Minister of Health and Education. He has been Minister of Agriculture since 2003. Mr. Ngedup first served as Prime Minister from July 1999 to July 2000, and was again appointed Prime Minister in September 2005. In Dhaka to attend the 13th Saarc Summit, Mr. Ngedup took the time to meet with Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam and Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman:
MA: Thank you for seeing us. Your Excellency, we start the discussion with a question on the present state of the Bangladesh-Bhutan relationship and how we can improve it.
LSN: Relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan are excellent. We enjoy very good relations. In trade and commerce there is a lot of cooperation going on. Ever since Bangladesh became an independent country, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship. We were one of the first countries to recognise independent Bangladesh. Diplomatic relations were established in 1973. You have wonderful institutions here. We send medical students here to become doctors and we also send students to your other institutions.
MA: Sir, you can send your journalists to work with us.
LSN: We all admire Bengali culture, it is so rich and poetic, and I think our journalists can take full advantage of that.
MA: How do you evaluate Saarc, the progress made so far? What do you think are the areas in which we can move ahead as a whole?
LSN: There are many positive aspects of why Saarc came into being. I have often heard people criticise Saarc and say that Saarc is sort of a government
organisation rather than a people-oriented one.
One of my good friends, a colleague, once called Saarc the "seven sisters." Seven sisters is like seven mothers, and the children are the people of the Saarc region. We should have an energetic campaign so that the relationship goes beyond states, to the level of people. We have common culture, common language, common background, common history which is so rich. People level contacts should be achieved very easily.
So there is so much for us to achieve through Saarc, and I do believe there is future and promise.
MA: Many are frustrated with the lack of progress. Saarc is twenty years old. We cannot claim to be going anywhere. People think we are not moving fast enough to solve the economic challenges. What are the reasons holding us back?
Matiur Rahman (MR): There is another criticism, specially on economic and other issues, do you think it is because of the problems of the two big powers, India and Pakistan?
LSN: It is a very good question and I wish you could give the answer. There is no easy answer to that question. What we need to do is continue the process. I think we have a very good
decision-making process. We should try to look at the positive aspects of Saarc. The fact is that we are coming together. Many things happen behind the scenes that are not really becoming public.
These days, leaders want to discuss bilateral issues and contentious issues. I think that this is a very good thing that has happened in Saarc which was not there before Saarc came into being. It is a continuous process. Everything is in the process of evolution.
MA: Summits are fine. But would it be possible to move towards simpler and more business-like meetings without ceremony or protocol? What do you think?
LSN: This can happen in the future. I think everything must evolve. It takes time before we can come to that kind of stage. In our culture, ceremony is very important. I think at the moment we are in a very good process. We are talking and we are meeting. Not only the leaders are meeting, but the technical and professional people are also meeting. I think that the culmination of that will be positive.
MR: There are some problems within the countries of Saarc. Developments between Pakistan and India are likely
to have positive impact. How can smaller countries play a role? Why cannot Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal together take some initiatives for some really effective role in the process?
LSN: All members are taking initiatives. All of them are present at our meetings for the mutual beneficial of all.
MA: Sir, will Bhutan make any specific suggestions or proposals at the Summit.
LSN: There are lots of proposals before us. We would like to see a more action-oriented Saarc. People to people contact is very important. As we mentioned, we have been criticised as being more government-oriented. We must break away from that so that we can actually feel the pulse of the people.
MA: There have been suggestions that the Secretariat needs to be given more authority and power.
LSN: The Secretariat needs to be more empowered. We need to have far more funds for empowerment. We have lot of proposals, but we do not have funds to implement them. One of the basic problems is how to translate our words into action, and how to use the Secretariat as a vehicle for this.
MR: So, according to you, the funding is really what is holding the Secretariat back from taking a more active role?
LSN: Yes, as well as we have to change the mandate, in order to determine how to use the funding.
MR: Often our leaders say that we can improve our economic situation if Bhutan gets access through India to Bangladesh.
LSN: There is some access at the moment. We do not need more access. India recently granted two more access points through Dawki and Fulbari. Trade and economic relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan are already going well. We want to improve them further.
MR: Our government is saying that they will allow a tri-national gas pipeline if India allows to buy additional electricity from Nepal and Bhutan. Do you have additional electricity to export?
LSN: At the moment we have the potential. We have not really developed the potential. At the moment, we are producing 800MW, but we have the capacity of producing 30,000 MW of hydropower. We need development of infrastructure, regional cooperation, as well as grants and loans
to develop our hydro-power.
MA: Sir, if you have 30,000 MW capacity, that should be of enormous benefit to Saarc. Can Bangladesh buy electricity from Bhutan?
LSN: It could be discussed bilaterally.
MR: Sir, what is the state of your relations with Nepal?
LSN: Our relationship with Nepal is excellent. At the moment we have absolutely no problem.
MA: The issue of Nepali immigrants in Bhutan: what is the situation now?
LSN: Actually, the issue is of illegal immigration. The Nepali illegal immigrants are supported by UNHCR. They have set up two camps. We are a small nation with a small population. We are always worried about illegal immigration.
MA: Do you think this Summit is going to make any break-through?
LSN: At the moment, I have just arrived and am unable to really assess what the other fellow leaders are thinking. We will get a little better idea tomorrow. It is pre-mature at the moment to make any assessment. But economic co-operation would be the key to Saarc. Safta can help us to close the gap.
MA: Thank you.